There wasn't a lot to see of the new mobile and tablet game in the Assassin's Creed franchise during my guided walkthrough.

Aside from a couple of minutes of animatics and, quite literally, less than ten seconds of in-game footage, that is.

Luckily, one of the writers of Assassin's Creed Pirates was on hand to explain more. It's sounding intriguing, even if the details are a little hazy.

Animus-t see more

If you've played Assassin's Creed III and enjoyed the sailing sections, you're in luck. That's because Assassin's Creed Pirates for iOS and Android is essentially the sailing parts but in touchscreen form.

You sail around the Caribbean in the 18th century, exploring and navigating the oceans, as well as buckling some swash.

Assassin's Creed Pirates will star original characters, though there will be crossover with Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag occasionally. The main story here, however, is very different from the one at the heart of Ubi's upcoming console game.

You play as Alonzo Batilia, a pirate on a quest to solve a centuries-old riddle, which is based on the real-life mystery sparked by the infamous Olivier Levasseur.

At the helm

However, you won't be controlling Alonzo himself; you'll just be controlling the ships he commands. You steer with a wheel at the bottom of the screen and can control the speed at which the craft sails. You can then relinquish control of the boat to man the cannons and engage in naval warfare by aiming with your finger to fire.

The emphasis here is on action-packed gameplay. There will be side-missions where you'll need to stealthily sneak past other craft by utilising terrain and thick fog, for example. Plus, you'll engage in challenges that more closely resemble out-and-out races.

From the fragments of play I saw, Assassin's Creed Pirates's graphics are very much in line with the high-quality, realistic 3D visuals synonymous with the series.

A mystery

Aaaaand that's about all I could find out about the game. It's undeniably an interesting prospect, and it definitely represents a intriguing further expansion of the Assassin's Creed universe.

If there's a worry about the game - and I think there definitely is - then it's that Ubisoft didn't have a lot to show here. This leads me to suspect that it won't be ready for a while.

Considering that Assassin's Creed IV is out next month, I fear a rush job is on the cards to get Assassin's Creed Pirates out the door.

Regardless, Assassin's Creed Pirates will be released on Android and iOS in (hopefully) the near future as a premium game. Keep your eyes on Pocket Gamer for further coverage.